The well-known travel and food show Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, which aired on CNN on Sunday, May 7, explored the Basque culinary tradition. Bourdain is a long-time champion of Basque cuisine. As he himself notes:

San Sebastián and the surrounding region has more outrageously good restaurants per square mile than just about anywhere in Europe. Even the bad restaurants are good … The Basque can’t seem to help but make good food from great ingredients … My love for the Basque, for Basque culture, for my Basque friends, is absolute. I hope I will be forgiven for this. But if not, I can live with it.

Check out Bourdain’s field notes here. These offer up a rich introduction to the main aspects of Basque gastronomy and are well worth a read for anyone interested in this fascinating aspect of Basque culture.

4 Comments

I did watch it and it was good makes me want to go there before I die . thank you so much for all the information you provide us with it is so nice to feel connected to my ancestors love hearing all the old stories. No one is left in our family so it really makes it nice.

I am proud to be half Basque. There were 21 half -Basque cousins from our mothers who grew in Central Nevada. My grandmother left the old country (where she washed clothes in the river) and came to NV by herself when she was just 16.
MY grandfather came to work in the mines and on sheep ranches.
If you know one thing about the Basques, it is their work ethic. By the time of the war they owned 3 ranches and a store.

It’s really great to hear people’s personal stories like this. We’d encourage anyone with a tale to tell about their family to check out our Basques in the United States project. Click here for details.